The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1887-09-16
Washington,
trren oar regular sosrs.pouasus.,

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Aug. a0ih, 1857.
Itseems TO me that the public land pol.
Icy Of this Administration commenda It Il
the favor Of the people far more than any
other measure II has adopted There has
been no cessation In the great work ol
oveFhanling the swindIlng manlpulatlons
Of hungry land.sharks and the powerful
railway corporations have also been made
to disgorge much OF free peoples birth
right, rutlilesAly given away by Republl-
can Administrator. Under the swamp.
land law, passed by Congress In 1880. au'
thority was granted certain States, with
public lands IN their borders. 10 drain and
reclaim ell swamp and overaowed lands
preparing them for purposes Of agrIcul'
tuFe later, acts were passed granting :
the States with such lands and indemnity
Of $Lss per acre for each acre Of swamp
land sold by the Government after the aci
Of 1850 and up TO the date OF fhe lndemnI.
~ act of Isss. Then In 1857, Congress
passed law securing TO each State the
titles to such tracts a. were condemned by
the several States as swamp lands. Now
so far as can be ascertalned Louisiana Il
the only Stste that has made any attempt
to reclaIm these lands. and that was soon
abandoned. You can at a thought see
what vast field Of fraud was invitlngly
opened by the Government, full advan.
sage of which was taken BY thousands oil
interruptions persons who falsely swore
away millions OF acres Of the most fertile
public lands, the settlers and the United
States land agents often making a acom.
blne" against the Goyernmet In their ne.
farious work. As the swamp law was pass.
81 thirty years ago. II the Law had
been carried out In good faith, the States
would have long since reclaimed all such
lands but, siill. @swamp land claims" are
being almost daily. presented. The mall.
cious attack made upon Commissioner
Sparks are solely due TO his efforts to check
ndcorrect this gigantic swinde for which
he Is entitled TO the highest praise.
Civil Service reform seems to be making
pretty fair progress under the new regu.
lations requiring clerks In Office to be ex.
anined. A few days ago the cix!l Ser.
vice Commission received from the Sec.
retary Of Nary request for the certificates
Of st3 eligihles -ail males from which q
selections may be made to Gil existing va.
cancies. To supply this. the largest re.
QUESTION ever made on the Commission, al
least four certificates were made for each
Of the States and Territories. The Civil
Service Commissioners are divided in
opinion In regard 70 the power Of dismissal.
Mr. Edgsrton. holding that the appointing
authority has absolute power Of dismissal.
while his colleagues contend that such
power i restricted by the Civil Service
law.
The Interstate Gommerce Law eeems to
be steadily grosing In popular favor. Sen.
ator Butler Of South caroIina who oppoa-
ed the measure. has been won over hy hls
recent experience In railroad collision,
and In consequence, he proposes to intro
dnce amendment TO the Law, regulating the
speed Of trains and limiting the time Of
railroad employees 10 twelve hours con-
secutive service Ia a day.
National Bank deposltories now hold q
larger sum Of Government funds than ever
before, the amount being $s,2s7,2o4.
Over seven million and half trade
dollars have been redeemed 70 date, more
than half Of which have been recoined
into dimes.
The testimony 10 seven contested elec.
tion cases has been received and printed
BY the clerk of the House of Represents
tives, which, believe, is a much smaller
number than usual.
AZ the last Cabinet meeting. for the first
time during this Administration, ell the
/ members were absent. except Secretary
Bayard the other portfolios being repre-
s-nted by Assistant Secretaries.
As It sregarded ~ practically settled
that President Cleveland will be renomi
mated, some interest 10 being manifested ir
the nomination for Vice President, ane
both Postmaster General Villas and Com
missioner Black have been often mention
ed. Many long-headed Democratic States
men and politicians are understood to ia
vor soldier for second place, and II i
probable the President is OF the sam,
opinion.
Although the international Me dica
Congress does net meet till next week
delegates have already begun to arrive. an,
the program has been formulated. Simp
y the titles of the disquisitions to be reas
and the Aames OF the authors make col
umn Of nonpareil in an evening newspape
Among the diversions OF these learnel
scientists will be excursions to Mt. yerno
and Niagara Falls.
| A pair of good Republicans, one clair
Attorney, and the other a Government
clerk were arrested few days since 70
stealing public records from the Pensio
Office. For such crime the punishment
| Il FIVE years in the penitentiary.
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